With production set to begin this May, Barry Jenkins’ limited series ‘Underground Railroad’ has begun casting, and Omega Underground has the character breakdowns!

First up is Cora (18-25), a fierce African-American woman who was abandoned by her mother at an early age. Cora is deeply scarred from this, and it is a big emotional drive for her character, but she is also plagued by the fact that she doesn’t feel as if she belongs anywhere. She also inherited her mother’s dreamy nature and grandmother’s perseverance, which will fuel her own legacy. Cora is a romantic at heart but doesn’t trust men and isn’t sure if lasting love exists. This all stems from her tragic childhood and upbringing. Alongside her abandonment, Cora also has to live in her mother’s shadow, as she was the only slave to escape Georgia’s most infamous slave catcher. All this builds into Cora wanting to kick her mother into the gutter.

Up next is Homer (9-12), a pudgy African-American boy with shining eyes. Once feral, Homer was bought and emancipated by a white slave catcher who appreciated his intelligent sensibilities and felt they were kindred spirits. Homer learned reading, writing, and arithmetic from the slave catcher, and became an employee of sorts. Homer prefers to wear a suit and stovepipe hat and enjoys the company of adults more than other children. He also is a talented artist and draws wanted sketches of escaped slaves. Homer is incredibly loyal to the slave catcher and does not have any empathy towards escaped slaves.

‘Underground Railroad’ is an Amazon limited series that hails from director Barry Jenkins and will be produced by Brad Pitt, Jeremy Kleiner, and Adele Romanski. Production is set to begin this May and will last through January of 2020.